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29/05/2013

Venison with Mashed Potatoes and Asparagus

I found a couple of lovely pieces of game venison at my local farm shop. Killed in the field, I am happy with that.

So, what to cook it with?

Simply does it ...

Something green and some starch. Oh, and mushrooms. To me, mushrooms go so well with venison, especially chestnut mushrooms.

Begin by boiling up some peeled and cubed white potatoes.

Get your griddle pan on, heated up and drop the steaks on, cooking both sides and then setting aside to rest.

Griddle the asparagus now. Mine were pretty thick, so I cut them in half.

Sauté off some sliced chestnut mushrooms in butter, adding in a little beef stock and all the juices from the resting venison.

Now, here's how to make the perfect mashed potato ...

Forget using a ricer, although that's good if you want to take a shortcut. What you want is a metal masher with small holes. Mash, mash, mash and mash ... no butter at this point.

Once mashed and smooth, now we add butter. You can add in cream, too, if you like for an extra special mash, but butter is good. Normandy or Jersey salted. Gorgeous!

Using a spatula, you fold the butter in allowing it to melt. Add more butter ... more definitely is better.

Now, here's the Cheffy part ...

In the pan, you scoop the potato together into a ball and then swirl that ball around the pan to perfect it. Using the spatula, cut the ball in half and serve a perfectly formed half ball per person, notching in a few slashes.

Pour out the jus, placing sliced meat on top.

Greenage alongside. Season the meat with black pepper, crushing a little sea salt over the potato.